different between hostile vs indifferent
hostile
English
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French hostile, from Latin host?lis, from hostis (“enemy”). Displaced Old English f?ondl??.
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /?h?sta?l/, /?h?st?l/
- (General American) IPA(key): /?h?st?l/, /?h?sta?l/
- Homophone: hostel (one pronunciation)
- Rhymes: -?st?l
Adjective
hostile (comparative more hostile, superlative most hostile)
- Not friendly, appropriate to an enemy; showing the disposition of an enemy; showing ill will and malevolence, or a desire to thwart and injure
- Synonyms: inimical, unfriendly
- a hostile force
- hostile intentions
- a hostile country
- hostile to a sudden change
- Aggressive, antagonistic.
- Unwilling
- Of a hostile takeover.
- Microsoft may go hostile in its bid for Yahoo as soon as Friday, according to a published report.
Synonyms
- antagonistic
- hateful
- See also Thesaurus:hostile
Antonyms
- friendly
Related terms
- hostility
- hostilely
- host
- See also Thesaurus:combative
Translations
Noun
hostile (plural hostiles)
- (chiefly in the plural) An enemy.
Translations
Anagrams
- Elohist, eoliths, holiest, sholtie
French
Etymology
From Middle French hostile, hostif (this form with a change of suffix), borrowed from Latin hostilis.
Pronunciation
- (mute h) IPA(key): /?s.til/
Adjective
hostile (plural hostiles)
- hostile
- unfriendly
Synonyms
- ennemi
Related terms
- hostilité
- ost
Further reading
- “hostile” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).
Latin
Adjective
host?le
- nominative neuter singular of host?lis
- accusative neuter singular of host?lis
- vocative neuter singular of host?lis
References
- hostile in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
hostile From the web:
- what hostile means
- what hostile minecraft mob are you
- what hostile intelligence collection method
- what hostile takeover
- what does hostile mean
indifferent
English
Etymology
From Old French indifferent, from Latin indifferens.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /?n?d?f.??nt/, /?n?d?f.?.??nt/
- Hyphenation: in?dif?fer?ent
Adjective
indifferent (comparative more indifferent, superlative most indifferent)
- Not caring or concerned; uninterested, apathetic.
- 1816, Jane Austen, Emma, Volume 2, Chapter 16,[1]
- “I must not hope to be ever situated as you are, in the midst of every dearest connexion, and therefore I cannot expect that simply growing older should make me indifferent about letters.”
- “Indifferent! Oh! no—I never conceived you could become indifferent. Letters are no matter of indifference; they are generally a very positive curse.”
- 1933, George Orwell, Down and Out in Paris and London, Chapter 3,[2]
- When you have a hundred francs in the world you are liable to the most craven panics. When you have only three francs you are quite indifferent; for three francs will feed you till tomorrow, and you cannot think further than that. You are bored, but you are not afraid.
- 1816, Jane Austen, Emma, Volume 2, Chapter 16,[1]
- Indicating or reflecting a lack of concern or care.
- 1886, Thomas Hardy, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Chapter 25,[3]
- Donald appeared not to see her at all, and answered her wise little remarks with curtly indifferent monosyllables […]
- 1990, J. M. Coetzee, Age of Iron, London: Secker & Warburg, p. 33,
- ‘Wonderful, Florence,’ I said, producing the ritual phrases: ‘I don’t know what I would do without you.’ But of course I do know. I would sink into the indifferent squalor of old age.
- 1886, Thomas Hardy, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Chapter 25,[3]
- Mediocre (usually used negatively in modern usage).
- 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, Dublin: John Smith, Volume 2, Book 10, Chapter 9, p. 275,[4]
- When Mrs. Honour had made her Report from the Landlord, Sophia, with much Difficulty, procured some indifferent Horses, which brought her to the Inn, where Jones had been confined rather by the Misfortune of meeting with a Surgeon, than by having met with a broken Head.
- 1826, Walter Scott, Woodstock, Edinburgh: Archibald Constable, Volume I, Chapter 3, p. 84,[5]
- […] the state-rooms are unaired, and in indifferent order, since of late years.
- 1965, Muriel Spark, The Mandelbaum Gate, Part 2, p. 252,[6]
- Suddenly Barbara remembered the party where she had first met Ruth Gardnor with her husband. The night of the dinner party. And the cello: it had been an indifferent performance.
- 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, Dublin: John Smith, Volume 2, Book 10, Chapter 9, p. 275,[4]
- Having no preference or bias, being impartial.
- 1713, Joseph Addison, Cato, a Tragedy, London: J. Tonson, Act V, Scene 1, p. 57,[7]
- […] Let Guilt or Fear
- Disturb Man’s Rest: Cato knows neither of ’em,
- Indiff’rent in his Choice to sleep or die.
- 1933, H. G. Wells, The Shape of Things to Come, Book 3, Part 7,[8]
- The scientific worker aims at knowledge and is quite indifferent whether people like or dislike the knowledge he produces.
- 1713, Joseph Addison, Cato, a Tragedy, London: J. Tonson, Act V, Scene 1, p. 57,[7]
- Not making a difference; without significance or importance.
- c. 1599, William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Act I, Scene 3,[9]
- […] But I am arm’d,
- And dangers are to me indifferent.
- 1650, Jeremy Taylor, “Of Contentedness” in The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living, 8th edition, London: Richard Royston, 1668, Chapter 2, Section 6, p. 118,[10]
- […] every thing in the world is indifferent but sin.
- 1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter, Boston: Ticknor, Reed & Fields, p. 162,[11]
- His gestures, his gait, his grizzled beard, his slightest and most indifferent acts, the very fashion of his garments, were odious in the clergyman’s sight;
- 1956, Mary Renault, The Last of the Wine, New York: Modern Library, Chapter 28, p. 374,[12]
- We talked of indifferent things, and watched the juggler who was tossing torches in the Stadium, for twilight was falling.
- c. 1599, William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Act I, Scene 3,[9]
- (mechanics) Being in the state of neutral equilibrium.
- (obsolete) Not different, matching.
- c. 1593, William Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew, Act IV, Scene 1,[13]
- […] let their heads be sleekly comb’d, their blue coats brush’d and their garters of an indifferent knit
- c. 1593, William Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew, Act IV, Scene 1,[13]
Related terms
- indifference
- indifferency (obsolete)
- indifferentism
- indifferently
Translations
Noun
indifferent (plural indifferents)
- A person who is indifferent or apathetic.
Adverb
indifferent
- (obsolete) To some extent, in some degree (intermediate between very and not at all); moderately, tolerably, fairly.
Usage notes
- Now obsolete, but very common c. 1600-1730.
References
- John A. Simpson and Edward S. C. Weiner, editors (1989) , “indifferent”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, ?ISBN
Middle French
Adjective
indifferent m (feminine singular indifferente, masculine plural indifferents, feminine plural indifferentes)
- indifferent; apathetic
indifferent From the web:
- what indifferent means
- indifference curve
- what indifferent means in malay
- what indifferent means in arabic
- what's indifferent in french
- indifferent what does it mean
- what part of speech is indifferent
- indifferent what is the definition
Share
Tweet
+1
Share
Pin
Like
Send
Share
you may also like
- hostile vs indifferent
- ideas vs matter
- germane vs serious
- handicap vs pestilence
- stamp vs docket
- unproductive vs depleted
- marvellous vs sparkling
- obvious vs rank
- overpowering vs able
- relief vs assuagement
- weakened vs unsound
- problematical vs hard
- disagreeable vs shocking
- exact vs unbending
- lesion vs affliction
- sad vs bereft
- hint vs specification
- largely vs remarkably
- acting vs description
- inert vs patient